For searches ending February 12, snowboarder Shaun White outstrips other popular Olympians.
Shaun White may be out, but he’ll always have Twin Falls. Or at least, the Idaho residents were his most ardent online seekers — probably because they were watching him closely along with Idaho-born Sage Kotsenburg, who got the first gold in the games in the inaugural slopestyle. (White of course declined to participate, leaving Kotsenburg as the sole American representing.)
As you might imagine, the fast-moving pace of the Winter Games means that spectators are chasing down who’s in and who’s out. Going into the games, bobsledder Lolo Jones led the lookups on Yahoo Search. Just recently, figure skater Ashley Wagner dethroned Jones as most-searched Olympian. The shock of White’s exit, though, pushed the snowboarding vet into the No. 1 slot. (Expect Evgeni Plushenko to assume the lead after he bowed out seconds before he was supposed to compete in the men’s figure skating round.)
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But while their online rankings may change, it’s interesting to see where the fan base might live — at least, judging by search-per-capita.
Snowboarder Shaun White topped Olympian searches on Yahoo in the 7 days ending February 12.
As this heat map shows, White has been a focus pretty much coast to coast.
The red states indicate the most intense searches, in this case Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota and Rhode Island. On a regional level, following Twin Falls were San Diego, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Milwaukee.
White may also be reassured by his youth appeal: Of the top 10 Olympians in the past seven days, he has pulled in the most searches among people in their 20s.
White also draws in the sexes pretty equally: In the past seven days, his queries have run 54 percent female, 46 percent male. The only other person more equal-opportunity in his appeal is gold medalist Kotsenburg (48 percent female, 52 percent female).
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The most lopsided appeal has gone for injured moguls skier Heidi Kloser, whose search numbers have been running 94 percent male, 6 percent female. Alpine skier Julia Mancuso comes close to that with 92 percent male, 6 percent female.
Top Olympians fan base, Yahoo Search (week 1)
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Ashley Wagner. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Ashley Wagner
1. Denver
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Pittsburgh
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul
5. Harrisburg-Lancaster (PA)
6. Baltimore
7. Kansas City
8. Seattle-Tacoma
9. Colorado Springs
10. Rochester
States
1. Colorado
2. Arkansas
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Virginia
5. Minnesota
6. Pennsylvania
7. Washington
8. Utah
9. Massachusetts
10. Maryland
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Olga Graf. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Olga Graf
1. Fort Wayne
2. Anchorage
3. Great Falls (MT)
4. Sioux Falls (SD)
5. Minneapolis-St. Paul
6. Denver
7. Green Bay-Appleton
8. Sioux Falls (SD)
9. Des Moines-Ames (IA)
10. La Crosse-Eau Claire (WI)
States
1. Alaska
2. South Dakota
3. Minneapolis
4. Montana
5. Colorado
6. Iowa
7. Kansas
8. Wisconsin
9. Indiana
10. North Dakota
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Gracie Gold. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Gracie Gold
1. Springfield (MO)
2. Champaign-Springfield (IL)
3. St. Louis (MO)
4. Joplin-Pittsburg (MO)
5. Harrisburg-Lancaster (PA)
6. Kansas City (MO)
7. Boston
8. Quincy-Hannibal (IL)
9. Chicago
10. Baltimore
States
1. Missouri
2. Illinois
3. Massachusetts
4. Minnesota
5. Pennsylvania
6. Maryland
7. Wisconsin
8. Kansas
9. Michigan
10. Colorado
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Julia Lipnitskaia. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Julia Mancuso
1. Reno
2. Denver
3. Omaha
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul
5. Salt Lake City
6. Albany-Schenectady
7. South Bend-Elkhart
8. Rochester
9. Philadelphia
10. Boston
States
1. Colorado
2. North Dakota
3. Minnesota
4. Utah
5. Wisconsin
6. Pennsylvania
7. Nebraska
8. Montana
9. Wyoming
10. Massachusetts
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Jamie Anderson. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions for searching for Jamie Anderson
1. Reno
2. Wassau-Rhinelander (WI)
3. Denver
4. Milwaukee
5. Green Bay-Appleton
6. Salt Lake City
7. Lafayette, IN
8. Portland-Auburn (ME)
9. Johnstown-Altoona (PA)
10. Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo
States
1. Colorado
2. Utah
3. Wisconsin
4. Idaho
5. Pennsylvania
6. Nebraska
7. Maine
8. Michigan
9. Kansas
10. Massachusetts
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Julie Lipnitskaia. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions for searching for Julia Lipnitskaia
1. Champaign-Springfield (IL)
2. Indianapolis
3. Peoria-Bloomington
4. St. Louis (MO)
5. Boston
6. Pittsburgh (PA)
7. South Bend-Elkhart (IN)
8. Philadelphia
9. San Francisco Bay Area
10. Hartford-New Haven (CT)
States
1. Indiana
2. Pennsylvania
3. Oklahoma
4. Missouri
5. Massachusetts
6. New Hampshire
7. Wisconsin
8. Michigan
9. Illinois
10. Virginia
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Lolo Jones. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Lolo Jones
1. Des Moines-Ames (IA)
2. Baton Rouge
3. Dallas-Fort Worth
4. Philadelphia
5. Houston
6. Minneapolis-St. Paul
7. Chicago
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Pittsburgh (PA)
10. Detroit
States
1. Iowa
2. Louisiana
3. Maryland
4. Minnesota
5. Wisconsin
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Illinois
9. Missouri
10. Ohio
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Heidi Kloser. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Heidi Kloser
1. Johnstown-Altoona (PA)
2. Traverse City-Cadillac (MI)
3. Springfield-Holyoke
4. Wimington (NC)
5. Portland-Auburn (ME)
6. Champaign-Springfield (IL)
7. Buffalo
8. Harrisburg-Lancaster (PA)
9. Green Bay-Appleton
10. Davenport-Moline (IA)
States
1. Vermont
2. Maine
3. Pennsylvania
4. Montana
5. North Dakota
6. Michigan
7. Wisconsin
8. Indiana
9. Massachusetts
10. Virginia
This heat map shows the Yahoo Search spread for Olympian Sage Kotsenburg. The data is 7 days ending Feb. 12
Top regions searching for Sage Kotsenburg
1. Spokane
2. Salt Lake City
3. Boise
4. Idaho Falls-Pocatello (ID)
5. Denver
6. Boston
7. New York
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Minneapolis-St. Paul
10. Hartford-New Haven (CT)
States
1. Idaho
2. Utah
3. Colorado
4. New Jersey
5. Massachusetts
6. Minnesota
7. Connecticut
8. California
9. Virginia
10. Alaska